


trapped in the inbetween

by artemis_sighs



Series: dreamSMP [3]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Dream SMP Spoilers, Dream Smp, brief burning alive MENTION in chapter two but i promise its incredibly brief, he/it for dreamXD, literally one sentence, tales from the smp spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-06
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-18 03:46:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29237028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artemis_sighs/pseuds/artemis_sighs
Summary: He hummed softly to himself, a tune he didn't recognize but knew he had heard somewhere.Maybe in a past life.//In which, Ranboo visits the Inbetween.
Relationships: Karl Jacobs & DreamXD, Karl Jacobs & Ranboo
Series: dreamSMP [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2128632
Comments: 5
Kudos: 145





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> twitter: @VLLLAINWILBUR  
> comments are very much appreciated

Fire crackled distantly.

Ranboo watched the fire quietly, knees drawn up to his chest. He hummed softly to himself, a tune he didn’t recognize but knew he had heard somewhere.

Maybe in a past life.

He felt his eyes droop, sleep beckoning him and dragging him under. Ranboo leaned against the back of a cushioned chair, head tipped back as he drifted off.

A large white building filled Ranboo’s vision. A pedestal with a single wither rose in a pot stood in front of him. Stone carvings hung on the walls.

Ranboo had been here before. He felt himself move, walking through the incredibly ornate yet empty room and into a hallway. Light filtered through one side, leading downwards and into another room. The other side lead to a balcony, looking over the castle. The enderman looked around before making his way towards the light, tracing ungloved hands on stonework and pillars. He glanced around once more, distant memories filling his thoughts. Ghosts seemed to dance just out of view, taunting him.

He walked further, filing away the memories for another time. A garden with a swing set filled his view, breeze flowing through the grass. Ranboo lingered for a moment longer, eventually walking up a tall staircase and into a tower. Tables sat untouched, quartz reflective of the sun.

Ranboo turned, examining the incredible castle.

His hands reached up, silk flowing down his arms and cinching at the wrist. He gently took off a crown.

The crown was pure white with black gemstones, glittering underneath the sun. He rubbed his thumb over a gem.

This was the Inbetween. Ranboo knew it. He’d been here many times before in his dreams, though he never remembered them until he woke up in the Intween. He’d explored the castle previously, ceilings standing tall. Portraits of him and people he didn’t recognize were placed around the castle, gorgeously detailed. Ranboo knew the artist had put a lot of time into each piece, each stroke carefully considered and calculated.

A light cut through the garden, acting as a gateway.

Karl stumbled through, colored hoodie now painted white. The signature spiral was still there, his name stitched into the back. Ranboo tilted his head curiously. Karl seemed familiar with the place, not even blinking at the incredible castle, sitting down heavily on a swing and pulling a journal out. He hesitated before looking up and directly at Ranboo.

The enderman jumped, blinking and breaking eye contact. Karl set the journal and quill down on the seat of the swing next to him, standing up and carefully making his way up the stairs leading up to the tower.

Ranboo sighed through his nose silently, taking the chance to examine himself. The silk shirt was pure, untouched white, tucked into black pants. A black cape rested on his shoulders, the brooch that linked one side to the other smooth. He thumbed the ender eye brooch, thinking.

Footsteps echoed up the staircase, getting louder and suddenly stopping. Ranboo looked up at Karl, who studied him.

Karl dropped into a bow, dipping his head low.

“Prince.”

Ranboo blinked. “Prince?” was all he asked, eyes furrowed in confusion.

Karl rose. “You don’t remember? Even here?”

“No. I’m.. I remember a little bit more, but even then it's only.. traces. Memories that dance at the edges of my mind. They aren’t chronological, I've figured out, and I don’t remember most of the people.”

“Ah,” was all Karl said. The two fell silent for a moment. “Have you looked around the castle yet?”

Ranboo nodded, hands folded behind his back. He had replaced the crown on his head, being careful to balance it so it didn’t tip over the edge.

“Then I’d imagine you know where you are.”

“The Inbetween. I know it’s name, but.. not what it is.”

Karl gestured for him to follow, slowly descending down the stairs again. Ranboo quickly caught up, considerably taller than the other man. “The Inbetween is a.. rest point of sorts. It’s a different dimension and the gateway between now and then, as well as the future. If you aren’t careful, it can take a bit of you away each time you visit.” He frowned. “I know that all too well.”

“A bit of you each time,” Ranboo repeated quietly. He pressed his lips together.

“Home away from home. It’s meant to be a place of rest and serenity.” The two stepped off the last step, crossing the garden to the swingset. Karl pocketed the quill and journal - where, Ranboo had no idea, but he didn’t bother to question it - and sat down on a swing. “It was once a place of thriving life, or so I’ve been told. But everything and everyone seemed to.. lose themself somehow. The castle’s been untouched for gods know how long.”

The younger boy kicked at the grass mindlessly. “I’m not letting this place take any more of me than it already has.”

Karl smiled softly. “Of course, Prince.”

Ranboo looked over at Karl. His vision began to blur slowly, his eyes drooping with exhaustion again.

“I think I’m waking up.”

Karl nodded. “Will you remember this?”

“Probably not.”

“Then I’ll see you later, Prince.”

“Yeah.”

Karl dipped his head as a goodbye. Ranboo felt himself drifting off again, closing his eyes.

He opened his eyes again, blinking sleep out of his eyes.

What an odd dream. If only he remembered it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karl visits the Inbetween, meeting an unexpected guest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> twitter: @VLLLAINWILBUR  
> comments are appreciated

Karl fell to his knees. The soft breeze brushed against his skin, sun warming his skin. He sat for a moment longer, letting the ring of an explosion die down before he opened his eyes again. The Inbetween stood, empty as always, though comforting. Karl took a deep breath in. 

Pulling a journal out, he quickly scrawled notes and names of those involved in the latest Travel. The book shut, being tucked back into a pocket. 

Karl stood, closing his eyes again. His chest rose and fell, slowing as he calmed. 

"Karl."

His back went rigid. Three voices spoke at once, each a different pitch but easily recognizable to lead to the same person. Karl turned, wincing as his vision was filled with a faint white light. 

The light materialized. He stared up, meeting what should have been eyes. He pursed his lips tightly, arms shaking as they held his weight. 

The being he saw stared down at him, form shifting ever so slightly every time Karl blinked until it settled on one single form. Though he'd never seen the being before, he knew who it was. 

DreamXD. A god. DreamXD shimmered and almost hurt to look at, glowing with a subtle golden hue. Sigils flickered at his feet in a language Karl didn't want to even start to comprehend. Terror ran through Karl's body at the sheer sight of him. He was a titan, towering over Karl at an inhuman height. 

"Calm down. I'm just here to send a message." Again, the three voices spoke in unison. The light around its figure flickered brighter as the god spoke.

"A message?" 

The being nodded. It thought for a moment, examining Karl with eyes that didn't exist. "Stop messing with the timeline."

"What?" 

"Stop messing with the timeline," he repeated. The form shimmered again, shifting into a more humanoid figure and shrinking. It moved the mask to the side. Cold green eyes ringed with silver eyes met grey. "You are permitted to continue traveling-"

"Not like I had much of a choice in the first place," Karl muttered. 

"-but you may not prevent current events from happening. You will throw the world into chaos." 

Karl studied DreamXD. Opposed to what he thought was it's human counterpart, it never seemed to smile. His freckles glittered, the same silver as his eyes. A green, short robe lined with glittering gold thread and sigils sat on its shoulders and ended mid-thigh. A dagger, emitting a bright light from its sheath, was strapped just under the ending of the robe. Karl's gaze lingered on it for a moment longer before his eyes returned to the gods face. 

He took a deep breath. "No. What's happening now isn't right. It can't be." 

"You don't have a choice. What you're doing is heroic, but you can't change a predetermined destiny." 

"My friends are dying, being taken by some.. some fucking egg and you're telling me it was meant to happen?" Karl stood, fingers wrapped tight into a fist. "An entire nation of people is gone. A child - Hell, Tommy, Tubbo, and Ranboo are being manipulated and traumatized, turned into war machines and shells of who they should've been. They're just fucking kids. They had so much potential."

DreamXD looked at him calmly, face betraying no emotion. "You are meant to be a historian, Jacobs. I cannot take my gift away from you, but I can ensure that you never mess with history again." It's hand drifted to the dagger. Karl had a sudden image of burning alive for eternity, never relieved of the pain. The image disappeared just as quickly as it came. 

"They're just kids," he repeated, sinking to his knees. The god carefully stepped over to the Traveller, tipping his head up to look him in the eyes. 

"You cannot change the future. Try as you may, you cannot." It glanced away for a moment, voice softening for a moment.. "I have tried." 

Karl blinked. 

"The Egg. That was my fault. I tried to save someone, tried to rip them from the fingers of the Writer and.. Well. You can assume the rest." 

"Your.. fault?" Karl asked. 

"My fault." DreamXD crouched in front of Karl. It thought for a moment. "Do not make the same mistake as me, little Traveller." 

Karl felt tears well up. He wiped away at a few with his sleeve, ignoring the now-wet spot on his shirt. The god's face softened, brow knit in quiet concern. It cupped Karl's face with one hand, thumb rubbing his cheek gently. "I won't," Karl promised. His voice shook, leaning into it's hand subconsciously. 

Silence. The tree swayed above the two, casting shadows across the ground. 

The god broke the silence. "I promise all will be right in time. Trust me on this."

Karl nodded. DreamXD hummed softly for a moment. 

"I think it's time for you to go home, little Traveller." 

A rift opened behind Karl. The god stood, removing it's hand from his face and helping Karl stand. Karl already missed it's touch, hands as warm as a welcome summer sun. He wiped the tears from his cheeks with his sleeve again, sniffling and taking a deep breath. 

DreamXD offered him a smile, folding its hands behind its back.

Karl entered the rift, leaving the Inbetween behind and opening his eyes in a familiar hidden library. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i really adore the idea of dreamXD being the protector of the World - and everything it's tied to - and gifting karl his time travellimg abilities. a bit of a soft spot for his gift reciever. honestly just a stark difference between dream and dreamXD


End file.
